Russia's Economic Modernization Study

Economic modernization of underdeveloped countries and developing countries is a wonderful "vision". The origin of Russia's economic modernization can be traced back to tsarist Russia's peter the Great period; he opened up "ideas of the door" of Russia's modernization. Because dreaming of Western Europe's advanced technology and establishing a strong empire, peter the Great launched a "top-down" modernization reform. Then Russia abolished the "serfdom" production relation in 1861, it further accelerated national industrial revolution and industrialization process:in 1893, the designer Sergei·Witte of Russia's industrialization (1849-1915) formulated the《business Development Program》, he proposed to accelerate industrial development strategy, that's to say, government intervention was the main way, financial stability was a lever, protection tariff, exporting food, introducing foreign capital and levying heavy taxes are means, it could reduce the gap with Western Europe' countries' economy and technology. In 1906, the Council of Ministers President of Tsarist Russia·Peter Stolypin (1862-1911)started land reform, n order to achieve Russia's agricultural modernization. In short, under the tireless efforts of the rulers, Russia's economic society entered the "threshold" of modern civilization; it basically set up capitalist production technology mode under the government leading. However, sustainable development of modern productive force demanded social productive relation to liberate; it is obviously inconsistent with the national rulers and reprehensive class'interest. So, from the beginning, it doomed to exist irreconcilable contradictions between the two. In the end, productive relation of "serfdom-capitalist" that didn't completely reform can only become the shackles of development of productive forces, and thus forfeited the possibilities of economic modernization that continued in Russia.In 1917, the Bolsheviks used the form of launching October by "violent" revolution overthrew the tsarist Russia's rule; they established a socialist country and its economic system. After a brief "war communism policy" and "new economic policy", from the 1930, the Soviet socialist country started a large-scale industrial construction, aimed at achieving the country's economic modernization. However, Stalin and the United Communist Party (Bolshevik) insisted on development thought of first heavy after light during industrialization process, they unilaterally emphasized on priority developing heavy chemical industry, and ignored coordinated development of each industrial sector with the economic development. Therefore, even though the Soviet Union (Russia), completed ahead of schedule two "five-year plan" and realized the socialist industrialization and collectivization of agriculture, at the same time, it formed a deformed structure and a fixed pattern of planned economy that dominated by high degree of centralized economic administration method.Before 1930-1970, the planned economic system played an active role in constructing the socialist modernization; it not only adapted the level of social productive forces of Soviet Union (Russia), it was conducive to national economic restructuring and distribution of productive forces, but also ensured that the development speed of national economy pass the developed capitalist countries. But after 1970s, the drawbacks of the planned economic system and deformed economic structure became increasingly obvious. Although Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev did a series of economic reform experiments, however, ignoring the role of market mechanism and the closed state of the economy obviously difficult to keep pace with development pace of economic globalization and the globalization of science and technology. So, even though industrial output in 1985, the Soviet Union after the United States, ranked second in the world, but in 1990 the gross national product was only 40% of the United States. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia's economic modernization in the socialist countries ended in failure.In 1990s, Russia started the national economic modernization again on the basis of Russia's Soviet legacy of economy, system and structure. The "neo-liberal" theory as the guiding thought of "shock therapy" didn't liberate from Russia's structural deformity, inefficiency and economic stagnation, it brought national economy to the brink of collapse, in particular, financial crisis in 1998 faced even more devastating blow. The main focus of the work of the Russia's economy on the "anti-crisis" and "stabilization" throughout 90's, the results of the market-oriented reforms and economic modernization was less, but the good news was the creation of the basic institutional framework of the modern market economy.Entering the new century, Russia's domestic economic situation stabilized and appeared rapid growth; it created the necessary preconditions for modernization of the national economy in the true sense. Therefore, Putin launched a comprehensive modernization of the national economy, he aimed to make Russia become a modern strong country of "capitalism + Russia's tradition + modern technology and management", in 2008, Medvedev became Russia's president, he emphasized that he will continue "Putin's line" and use a variety of practical measures to continue to promote Russia's economic and social modernization.The researching objective of this thesis was Russia's economic modernization construction, it tried to analyze Russia's economic modernization strategy, objectives, tasks and structure policy; and it explored the path of Russia's modernization and upgrade national competitiveness choice combing economic modernization theory; at the same time, it also analyzed the possibilities and functions of new social contract that adapted modern economy; at last, for the modernization of Russia's economic transition characteristics, it put forward countermeasures and proposals to promote national economic modernization construction under economic globalization and science and technology globalization. This thesis's main contents are as follows:Firstly, this thesis overviewed of the economic implications of modernization theory and its evolution, on this basis, it analyzed Russia's guiding policy change of economic modernization since the 90's.Secondly, Russia's structural policy analysis, it researched significance, direction, objectives and solutions of Russia's national structural policy reform, it focused on innovation economic development, state-owned asset management, transportation and production infrastructure, fuel complex reform, land property rights market, environmental protection, adjustment of foreign economic relations, etc..Thirdly, it analyzed long-term strategy of Russia's economic modernization under the background of globalization. It included mission objectives, the implementation of environment, constraints factors, regional economic modernization and other content.Fourthly, it analyzed the possibility of Russia's economic modernization path, feasibility and necessity, and changes of changes of national economic competitiveness in the modernization process combing economic modernization theory.Fifthly, it analyzed the necessities of establishing corresponding new social relations during the Russia's economic modernization process, the advantages and cost of democratized economy, ownership system reform, and a new social contract relations role in promoting economic modernization.Sixthly, it summed up the above analysis and proposed some recommendations during the process of Russia's economic modernization.